Move Along
by Miki588
Summary: Pony's shaken when his year long relationship with Dally's younger sister ends. What will happen and can it be fixed? Other pairings and events to occur. Check it out for now. Story will progress as ideas come to me and with your comments.
1. Chapter 1

Brigitte's POV

"OUT!" Dallas yelled, grabbing his sister by the shirt and pushing her through the Curtis' front door. It had been only seconds before that we had walked in on Ponyboy and Dally's younger sister engaged in a heavy make out session. "Alexandra Winston, wait right there for me and don't you go anywhere." The girl turned her head, whipping her long, dark hair with it.

_I'm sorry_, she mouthed to Ponyboy, whose cheeks had turned a crimson color. She walked with her head hung and tears brimming her eyes, from the house.

"Dal, don't," I started, but he pushed my arm back and threw Ponyboy against the wall.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" he shouted before slugging Pony in the jaw. The younger boy looked down at his feet and rubbed the spot where Dallas had hit. Dallas continued ranting and pulled his hand backward to strike Pony once more.

"Stop it, Dal!" Soda said, grabbing at his arm. "I know you're pissed, but he's still my brother, and I'm not goin' to sit here and watch you beat the tar out of him." Soda's voice was pleading more than anything. We all knew what Dal's anger could turn into.

Steve and I exchanged glances, and he smirked before strolling out the front door. Two-Bit, who for once understood that he shouldn't be involved in the discussion, motioned for his blonde-headed sister to leave with him. When he caught the terrified expressions on her face and Johnny's, he instantly knew what had been going on. Remaining calm, he put an arm around each of them.

"Alright Riles, how about you, me, and Johnnycake go talk outside." The two followed reluctantly, but I stayed put for the time being.

"Dallas, just go. I'll take care of Ponyboy." Dallas ripped his arms from Darry's grip and stormed out of the house, eyeing Pony as he did so. I followed behind at a quick pace until we reached Alex. She was a few inches taller than me at 5'5 and was leaning against the side of my car, arms folded across her waist.

"Dally, I'm sorry," she whispered. Her face was tilted downward, but her eyes were cast up towards him. Pulling a lighter from his back pocket, he took the cigarette from behind his ear, lit it and inhaled deeply. I bent down and awkwardly pretended to tie my shoe.

"Look Al, I just don't want you getting' into trouble, and that's what dating some greasy hood'll do to you." The girl's head shot up.

"Ponyboy Curtis is not a hood, Dallas Winston, and you of all people should know that. Curly Shepard is a hood. Besides would your rather me date a soc? Would that be better than Ponyboy?" I looked up and saw her trying to swallow a lump in her throat. She wouldn't cry in front of her brother.

"No, I don't want you dating a soc, but I sure as hell don't want you dating Ponyboy!" Dallas threw his cigarette on the ground and began walking away.

"Lex," I said cautiously, "Why don't you come stay with me for a while?" She nodded as I began to unlock my car. When I pulled away from the Curtis' house, she burst into tears. All of the emotions she had been keeping inside were suddenly released. "Hey, hey Lexi, everything is going to be fine. You'll see. Dal and Pony'll work things out." I tried to reassure her with what I hoped would be the truth. I pushed my sunglasses up onto my head and dug through my dash for a tissue. Finding one, I handed it to her.

"I-think-that-I-should-break-it-off-with-Pony," she spoke hoarsely between hiccups. "Dallas is the only family I have left, and if I don't have him, I don't know what I'll do."

"Alex, the whole gang loves you."

"But it isn't the same. I don't want to disappoint him."

"Well, I know but give it a few days, it might all blow over." As we pulled up to my house and got out of the car, Alex took a deep breath.

"Pony's sweet. I'm sure he'll understand." When she said that, I felt my jaw drop a little and my eyes widen.

"I hope so," I muttered.

We stepped into my large stone house and walked upstairs to my room. I live with my mother and stepfather, they've been married since I was fourteen, but are rarely home. He owns his own company, and after they were married they bought this house. I'll admit, I was overwhelmed at first, but I'm used to it now. Usually I have the whole place to myself, and today was no different.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" Alex asked when we got in my room.

"Nope, I'll get you clothes."

"Alright," she responded, plopping down on my bed. I tossed her a t-shirt and sweats, and she rose to go to the bathroom.

"I'll make us some dinner," I called after her.

After throwing in a pizza, I made sure there were clean sheets in the guest room. When Alex got out of the shower, the oven timer was going off. I took out the pizza while Alex got out plates.

"Will you go see how Pony is doing?" she asked suddenly.

"Um, sure," I said reluctantly. "I'll go after I eat this slice. Will you be okay here?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I think I'm just going to watch some TV and go to bed."

"Alright then, I'll go over." When I left my house twenty minutes later, I was fearful of what might be going on at the Curtis'. I cautiously approached the door and knocked. When Soda answered, a look of relief washed over his face.

"It's a mess in here," he whispered. "Pony won't talk to Darry and they're both venting to me." I smiled sympathetically. Poor Soda, I knew how he hated tension. I looked past him and saw Ponyboy sitting on the couch, holding his head in his hands. I raised an eyebrow and Soda shrugged.

"Pony?" I spoke softly as I made my way to the sofa. He looked up at me, and I saw the dark spot on his cheek where Dallas had hit him. I took a seat beside him while Soda hovered over us.

"What?" he groaned, avoiding eye contact.

"Jeez, kid, you should really put some ice on that. I'll get you some, alright?" I couldn't stand the hurt look in eyes and would have done anything to escape him right then.

"I'm fine," he answered as I got up. There wasn't any ice, so I grabbed a frozen bag of peas and wrapped it in a towel. Soda had taken a seat on Pony's other side when I returned. I handed Pony the bundle, and he reluctantly covered his face with it. I put a hand on his shoulder, and Pony sighed loudly throwing the weight of his body backward into the couch.

"She's breaking up with me, isn't she?"


	2. Chapter 2

Brigitte's POV

"Now we don't know that for sure," I spoke.

"Yeah, come on bud. You and Dar just need to cool off a bit and then we'll see if Dal and Lex can come over. Maybe we can all just sit down and talk." Soda was trying to be reassuring, but I arched an eyebrow at him.

"I know you guys are trying to be nice and help me out, but I really just want to be alone right now. Sorry." Ponyboy stood up and stalked out of the room, dropping the bag of peas.

"Well, so much for that. I guess I'll go start dinner," Soda said putting a hand on my knee before standing up. I tilted my head up towards him and smiled.

"Yeah, okay. Do you want any help?"

"Nah, how about you go see if you can get through to Darry. Sometimes he listens to you." Soda winked and turned towards the kitchen. Sighing heavily, I started walking down the hallway towards Darry's room, remembering when it used to be Mr. and Mrs. Curtis'.

I had known the Curtis family since I moved to Tulsa six years ago. When I was eleven, my mother had moved us from Dallas to escape one of her boyfriends. My real father died when I was three. He was French, hence my name, and a real gentleman according to my mother. He had been born into an aristocratic family and left everything to us, but my mother doesn't like to splurge on "unnecessary" items. I however do.

Anyhow, I had gotten lost walking home from the elementary school and somehow ended up in "greaser" territory. Lucky for me I ran right into Ponyboy who said I could use his phone if I wanted to call my mom. The rest is history. My mother came to get me, and she hit it off right away with Mrs. Curtis. Things had been so much easier when we were younger.

When I reached the closed door, I hesitated before knocking softly. I had always gotten along real well with Darry, but sometimes he terrified me.

"Dar?" I called, gently, "Can I come in?" He didn't answer so I took it as a sign to let myself in. He was sitting up on the side of his bed staring at the closed closet in front of him. I tiptoed around the edge of the bed and sat down next to him.

"Hey," was all he said.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." His answer seemed almost robotic.

"Something besides Pony bothering you?" I knew he'd tell me. For some reason I could get just about anything out of him.

"Well, it's just that," he paused. "I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, do you think they're having sex? Pony and Alex I mean." Darry looked embarrassed, and I think my ears turned a little red as well.

"I don't really know, Dar. I mean they might be, but I assume they'd be scared you or Dally would find out."

"I'm sorry, this is a weird conversation. It's just bugging me, ya know? I mean when mom and dad died I knew I was responsible for Soda and Pony, but I didn't actually realize everything they'd have to learn without our parents here." Dumbfounded and unsure of what to say, I just sat there twisting the ring on my finger. "I'm not ready for this," he continued. "I mean he's sixteen, and I'm sure it's inevitable because of the people he hangs out with but what if he gets hurt. Or what if he gets her pregnant? And I know I sure as hell wasn't any angel, so I really can't tell him no." He sighed heavily. "I'm just so frustrated with him and with myself."

"Talk to him, Dar. I mean really sit down and listen to him without jumping to conclusions. He's going to need to be able to talk to you because I'm not sure what Alex is going to do. She wants Dally's approval so badly." I hoped he understood what I was getting at.

"Oh great. And just how long have they been seeing each other?" I looked down at my shoes and kicked the heel of one against the bed.

"Well, they've been sort of an item for almost a year now." Darry raised any eyebrow. "Pony's always been in love with her though; he's just scared of Dal."

"Yeah, I knew that last part," he inhaled sharply and started to stand. "I guess I'll go see how dinner's going. You eating?"

"Nah, I already ate. I'll probably go home in a little bit anyway."

"Hey, thanks." It was my turn to cock an eyebrow. "I just mean I appreciate you talking to me. It's nice to know someone doesn't think I'm all bad." I laughed at this.

"Anytime. Give him a chance to explain himself. It'll all work out, I hope." I smiled and followed him out the door.

When we reached the living room, Soda was getting out plates.

"Pony just walked to your house, Bee. He wanted to see Lex." Bee was the nickname I'd been given soon after I had gotten to know the Curtis boys. It was partly because of my name and partly because they told me I was the size of a bee. Or if they were being smartasses they called me "Queen Bee." In the end, the name stuck.

I looked at Darry who just looked back at Soda.

"Alright, when did he say he'd be back?"

"He didn't say," Soda said, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, looks like I'll just be hanging out here," I said taking a seat at the table. They ate chicken and mashed potatoes while I sipped on a Pepsi. Afterwards, Soda and I tuned on a movie and Darry pulled out a book. After an hour Soda asked if he should call and see if Pony needed a ride home.

"I am not calling, Soda, especially if they're in the middle of a fight. If he isn't home when the movie is over, I'll call." Soda made eye contact with me and nodded his head towards Darry. I shrugged my shoulders. We were both surprised that he wasn't getting upset.

When the movie ended, I picked up the phone to call Alex. No one answered. I called again and still no one answered. Soda yawned and laid his head in my lap.

"Well, they're either screwing or they're dead."

"Shut up, Soda," Darry and I said at the same time.

A few minutes later the phone rang, and Soda answered it then handed it to me. Alex was on the other end and sounded exhausted.

"Are you okay, Al?" I asked her.

"I guess so. Bri, I broke up with Pony, and I was just calling to see if he had made it home yet because I told him to call when he did. Oh and when are you coming home?" Her voice sounded quiet, almost like she was sick.

"Well, I was waiting on Pony. How long ago did he leave?" Darry's put his book down and Soda turned to look at me, his face paling a little.

"Wait, he's not there yet? He left about an hour and a half ago. I just assumed he didn't want to talk to me. Oh great," her voice cracked and she started to cry.

"Hey, don't cry, we'll find him. You just go to bed, you don't sound so good." She sniffed and finally agreed. When I hung up the phone Soda and Darry pounded me with questions.

"Oh, man. I just don't know where he would have gone," Soda spoke worriedly. Darry just looked at me and shook his head.

"Shit. Okay well either you and Soda stay here and I'll go look for him, or I'll stay here and you two go look for him," he said.

"We'll go!" I said immediately, knowing that Pony would rather be met by Soda than Darry.

After driving to my house and back, twice, we pulled over at the Dingo.

"You better go in with me. I don't want you waiting in the car by yourself," Soda spoke with a cautious tone. I followed him out of the car, and he slung a protective arm around my shoulder. Though we'd never dated, Soda always made it his job to be my personal body guard when we went out. There were a couple of greasers and socs fighting in the parking lot, but we couldn't find Pony or anyone else from our gang. When we got back in the car, Soda slammed his head against the seat in frustration. We circled the vacant lot and every other hang out we could think of.

"Where is he? It's one thirty in the morning, he never does this."

"Didn't Two-Bit say something about a party at the Shepard's tonight?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, but I don't think Pony would go to one of those parties. Would he?"

"I don't know, Soda, but we've checked everywhere else. And maybe if his friends were there he might go too."

"Okay, maybe. Let's go check." We drove to the Shepard's in silence. They didn't have a big house or anything, but they always had parties, and they weren't exactly the kind of parties I liked to be seen at. When Soda and I got there, we saw a lot of kids on the lawn. Most of them were drinking. Finally, we found Curly Shepard and asked him if he'd seen Pony. 

"Uhh, yesss," he slurred, "I think he'sss inside."

"Great," I muttered. Soda looked at me and rolled his eyes. I felt the protective arm making its way around my waist as I followed him into the house. There were so many people in there, it was hard to breathe. They were all smoking, drinking, making out, and some were doing all three. Soda recognized someone and asked if they'd seen his brother or Two-Bit for the matter. The kid pointed out Two-Bit sitting in a corner with some blonde girl who was falling out of her shirt. Soda and I squeezed our way through the crowd toward Two-Bit.

"Where's Pony?" Soda asked in a demanding tone.

"Whoa, buddy calm down. He's here somewhere." It was hard to tell whether or not Two-Bit was drunk.

"Two-Bit, please we've been looking for him for nearly two hours." Soda's voice was pleading now. Two-Bit looked up at him and then at me.

"Alright follow me, we'll find him." Two-Bit led us down a hall where we saw a bunch of closed doors.

"Two-Bit Matthews, tell me he's not in one of those rooms," Soda looked sick. Suddenly, Pony walked out from behind a door. His hair was askew and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Ponyboy?" The kid froze when Soda said his name.

"Oh hey, Sssoda. I was jussst heading home." The voice didn't even sound like it belonged to him.

"Well, uh Soda, Bri, I'll catch ya later. Sorry I can't stick around," Two-Bit said, darting off.

"Have you been drinking, Ponyboy?" Soda sounded a lot like Darry. I'd only seen him angry a few times but never at his little brother. Pony looked down at his feet and then back up. He started to laugh as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.

"I jusss had a little, Ssssoda. I'm fine, seeee?" He stuck his arms out to his side in an attempt to walk in a straight line. Tripping over his own feet, he cursed before catching his balance.

"Damn, who's got a lighter," he laughed.

"Pony," I began just as Angela Shepard walked out the door. She was wearing hardly anything at all, which just magnified the reputation she had. Coming up behind Pony, she whispered something in his ear and made him laugh. Angela continued walking and gave me a "go to hell" look as she passed. Angela hated me because I was friends with Alex, and she was jealous of Alex because of Ponyboy. From the looks of it though, tonight had gone in her favor.

"Let's just go," I said sharply.

Then, Soda jerked Pony by the arm and pulled him back through the party and out the front door. I was close on their heels. I slammed the door shut after he got in the car, and he stared at me as if I were completely insane.

"Whattt? Now you're ppissed off attt me too?" He looked at me, eyes glaring.

"Pony, lay off of her," Soda was furious. His voice was calm, but I could see his knuckles turning white from the tight grip he had on the steering wheel.

"Sssoda, it was a few ssshots –"

"You know what Pony, you just need to shut up and think about how you're going to explain those few shots AND Angela Shepard to Darry. And to the rest of us for that matter." Pony slumped back in the seat, laughing while Soda and I stared forward at the dark road ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

Brigitte's POV

Soda drove the rest of the way home in silence. I don't know how he was able to ignore Pony's begging to just take him to Two-Bit's, and let him sleep it off. When we reached the Curtis' house, Soda took the keys out of the ignition and paused for a moment before getting out. Just as he was jerking Pony out of the back seat, Darry came out to meet us. I swallowed and slowly stepped out of the car, waiting for hell to break loose.

"Pony," Darry spoke calmly as he walked down the stairs, "where have you been, kiddo?" Soda was still holding Pony's arm, and the younger boy shook it off. His eyes darted toward me and then down to his feet.

"Pony," Darry spoke again, "Where were you?"

"I wasss at the Shepard's houssse." Pony was speaking in a low voice. I knew he was trying to cover his slurring, but Darry caught it anyway.

"Ponyboy, come here," Darry said firmly. Although his voice was calm, his eyes showed stirring anger. Slowly, Pony shuffled his way towards Darry, and we watched as he stumbled up the stairs. Darry caught him and held Pony by the shoulders. "I know you're upset, Pony, but that is no excuse for this kind of behavior. We're going to discuss this tomorrow. You're smart enough to know better." I could not believe how calm he was.

"Come on, Dar. You're never going to be Dad, ssso you're little talkssss are just pointlessss. And let go of me, I feel-" Ponyboy turned his head and threw up into the grass.

"Head to the bathroom, Pony!" Darry spoke loudly and practically pulled the kid up the stairs. Soda and I followed behind at a quick pace.

"Darry, I need to talk to you," Soda whispered after shutting the door. I knew it was about Angela, and I didn't want to be in the conversation so I snuck off to call Alex.

"Bri? Hey!" She answered the phone sounding groggy and disoriented. "Did you find him?" I told her yes that we had found him, and he was fine. However, I spared her of the other details. Alex thanked me for calling and hung up. When I walked back into the kitchen Darry and Soda were talking softly. Clearing my throat softly, I made my presence known.

"Hey, Bri, can you go check on Ponyboy?" Darry asked. He looked upsed, and I knew why. Soda's head was resting in his hand, but he looked up to mouth a "Thank you" before continuing his discussion with Darry. I was thankful to get out of there. I really couldn't stand seeing them so upset.

I tiptoed down the hall and stood outside the bathroom door before I went in. I could hear Pony moaning from where I stood.

"Pony," I knocked softly on the door, "Can I come in?" He let out a low groan and I took that to mean "yes." Ponyboy was sitting on the tile floor with an arm bent on the toilet and his head resting on his arm. His face looked pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. Slowly, I knelt down beside him and brushed his hair back. His skin was clammy, a little sticky. He was looking at me with tired eyes.

"It felt good, ya know?" he started. His voice was weak, but he was almost laughing. "I mean I just wanted to forget about her for one night. And after a couple rounds I did. So I thought it was cool and I thought 'Hey, this is great. I feel really good.' And I don't know. I don't know how Angela came in the picture. She was just there, telling me how perfect I was and all." He was rambling and I didn't want to hear the rest of what he was going to say.

"Pony, just stop, okay? I don't want to hear the rest." I knew I was being a lousy friend, but I couldn't stand to hear about him and Angela Shepard.

"Sorry, Bri. She made me feel really good about myself. Maybe it was just the booze, but man I felt good. On top of the world good. And now I just feel…I just feel-" He was throwing up again, and I moved behind him to rub his back. His body shook violently, and I knew he was miserable. When he finally stopped, I went to go get him a glass of water from the kitchen. He guzzled the whole thing before laying down on the bathroom floor. He pulled his legs toward his chest and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Pony, why don't you go get into bed?" I asked shaking his knee.

"Eh, I'm just going to stay here incase I get sick again." I went to his room and got a pillow and blanket to bring to him. After checking on Pony one more time, I went to join Darry and Soda in the kitchen.

"Well, I think he's finally asleep. What's the verdict?"

"Oh, I'm just going to talk to him in the morning." Darry sighed loudly and rose from the table. Soda followed and started to walk toward me.

"Darry, I'm sorry," I told him.

"Not you're fault at all, little bit. I'll take care of it tomorrow."

"You wanna stay here tonight?" Soda asked slinging an arm around my waist and pulling me into a hug.

"Nah, thanks though. Alex is at my house still, and I don't want to leave her alone. Call me in the morning, okay?" Soda nodded. "Goodnight, Dar."

"Night, Bee." Soda walked me to my car and told me to drive safely. The roads were slick after a little rain, but no one was on them. I liked to drive home when it was quiet outside, and I was the only one on the road. I turned my radio up loudly and sang along, trying to forget the nights' events.

When I got home, I made sure all the doors were locked before going to my room. Alex was awake and sitting on my bed with the table lamp on.

"How is he? I'm sorry. After you called I couldn't go back to sleep. I just keep thinking that I made a huge mistake. I'm going to talk to Dally tomorrow. I want to work things out with Ponyboy. I love him, and I know Dallas will understand. I mean I hope he will. Is Pony okay?" She was hugging a pillow and looking at me with worried eyes.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, he's fine. Tired, but okay." My mind was turning, and I suddenly felt like _I_ was going to be sick.

"Oh good! Where was he? I was worried he got jumped or something." She was smiling now. My heart ached, and I couldn't bear to tell her.

"He was out with Two-Bit, but he's home now." Atleast that was partly true. We talked for a few more minutes about what she would say to Dally before going to sleep. I laid awake even after Alex was asleep. I could not stop thinking about the smirk on Angela Shepard's face when she saw me earlier. I knew she'd be trouble. What was Pony going to do? He couldn't possibly have feelings for Angela, could he? Oh, poor Alex. She was going to be heartbroken. Finally, I fell into a restless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Get up, Pony," Soda spoke firmly as he pulled the comforter off of his younger brother. Pony squeezed his eyes in an attempt to keep the light out and pulled the comforter back over his head.

"I don't feel good, Soda. Go away." Pony's words were muffled under the blanket but Soda heard them anyway.

"Of course you don't feel good. You've probably got a hangover from hell, but you need to wake up just the same, it's two thirty in the afternoon."

"Fine," Pony grumbled and slowly sat up as Soda took a seat beside him on the bed. Looking over at Soda, Pony noticed that his brother was fidgeting with a loose thread on his pillow case. His hair stuck up in a slight cowlick in the back, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Though he had obviously showered and already been to work, Soda looked like he hadn't slept all night.

"You okay, Soda?" Pony asked gently. He tried to remember if Soda had gotten in a fight the night before but his head hurt so bad that he couldn't remember much of anything.

Soda laughed lightly at this and shook his head. Letting out a small breath he started to speak.

"Do you even remember last night?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yeah, Alex broke up with me. I remember that fine, Soda. You don't have to remind me." Pony spoke sharply.

"_Pony, please. I love you, I really do. I just-" Her eyes watered, but only a single tear ran down her cheek. Pony was looking down at his hands, but stopped to glance up at her._

"_You don't have to do this," he cut her off, " Just because they know now doesn't mean we have to end it. Please, Alex. Please." Pony was embarrassed at his own begging, but thought it the only way to make her see how he felt. _

_Alex reached over and placed a hand gently on his. _

"_He's my brother."_

"_So what!? Darry and Soda are my brothers and I'm not giving up on us because they know! I thought we were worth fighting for, but I guess I was wrong." He jerked his hand away and stood up to walk away._

"_I'm so sorry, Pony"_

Pony shook the memory quickly from his mind and turned back to his brother.

"Pony," Soda started, "We found you drunk at the Shepard's house last night. You remember how you got there?" Pony looked up at Soda for a minute trying to think of what he would be doing at the Shepard's.

"I wasn't at the-" He paused suddenly, eyes going wide. Swallowing, he looked away from Soda as he felt a deep flush rise up his neck.

"Angela," he whispered, and Soda nodded.

"_Hey kid, have another!" Two-Bit laughed, shoving another shot in Pony's direction. "Don't tell Darry though, he'll skin me alive!" Pony laughed and quickly down the glass. He'd been walking to the park when he ran into to Two-Bit who insisted he go to a party with him to take his mind off things. Curly Shepard was sitting beside Pony and clumsily re filled his glass again, as Two-Bit got up to dance with a girl._

"_I tell ya what, Curtis, I though I'd never see you at one of our little get togethers. Glad ya finally could make it."_

"_Yeah me too, don't tell my brothers though." Pony laughed with Curly. He was beginning to enjoy the numb feeling from the shots. No longer sulking over Alex, he had started to let loose and had already danced with several girls. Now he sat on the arm of a chair and reached over to take the bottle from Curly. Man, Darry would kill him if he knew. Pony laughed as he took a generous swig from the bottle._

"_Hiya, Pony." He felt rather than saw who the voice belonged to as a tanned hand slid down his arm. _

"_Hey Angela," Pony turned his head to greet her. She began walking around to the front of the chair and stopped right in front of him. Scooting herself closer so that she stood in between Pony's knees, she gave him a sly smile before taking the bottle from his hands and drinking herself. _

"_I heard about you and Alex," she said putting the bottle back in Pony's hand. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that she did that to you. Some girls just don't know a good thing when it's right in front of them." Angela smiled seductively at him and he felt himself stiffen slightly. Alex hated Angela and Pony knew that, but right then he couldn't remember why._

"_Yeah, I mean I thought she loved me but I guess that was stupid." Pony took another sip and began to confess how upset he was about Alex. Angela listened intently, nodding her head and gently rubbing his shoulder. _

"_I know how upset you must be. I just wish there was something I could do…" she trailed off and looked straight into his eyes. _

"_I wish there was something anyone could do," he said softly looking back at her. Angela placed a hand behind Pony's head and pulled him soothingly to her. He felt her lips suddenly on his but did not pull away. Instead, he found himself opening his mouth in response. The kiss last only a few seconds before he pulled away._

"_I can't Angela, I'm sorry. Alex doesn't…I mean she wouldn't-"_

"_Pony, Alex doesn't want to be with you. I'm sorry, baby but I'm here and I want to be with you." Pony shook his head, a little shocked at her remark. The room was spinning slightly and his vision was cloudy around the edges. "Please," she whispered, taking his hand. Pony took a deep breath and staggered behind her down a hallway._

"Oh God, Soda, what have I done?" Pony's voice cracked slightly and he felt sick. He was looking to his brother for help but found none.

"I don't know, buddy. You need to get your act together though because Alex is going to be here in a little while to talk to you. You should think about apologizing to Darry too." Soda's words were not spoken harshly, just in a disappointed tone that made Pony cringe.

After apologizing to both Darry and Soda, Pony slipped quietly off to take a shower. He had taken four aspirins in an attempt to mask his headache, but felt sick again when he smelled the faint scent of vomit in the bathroom. While he waited for the water to warm up, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His face was still swollen from Dally's punch, and his skin was a sickly white underneath. He stopped suddenly and looked at his chest, fingering a dark spot and then another which lay right beneath his shoulder.

_Proof_, he thought sadly. It was as though Angela had marked him. He'd have to be careful not to take his shirt off in front of anyone.

The warm water was somewhat soothing against his clammy skin. Closing his eyes, Pony leaned his head back and let the water run onto his face.

"_Pony, she wasn't right for you anyway," Angela breathed as she kissed again. This time she left a trail of kisses to his neck and then found her way back to his neck. "Girls like that, will always think they're better than everyone else. It's because she hangs out with Brigitte. She's a soc, ya know?"_

"_Can we just not talk about Alex?" Pony asked between kisses. Angela's hands were roaming across his back and were beginning to find their way beneath his shirt._

"_We don't even have to talk," she breathed into his neck._

"_Mmm, thatwouldbenice…" he mumbled. Pony clumsily pulled at Angela's shirt and she guided his hands as he slid it over her head. He pulled off his own and laughed as Angela pushed him onto the bed. _

The water was beginning to get cold by the time Pony stumbled out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. His head was spinning and he leaned against the sink for support.

"_Pony," Angela gasped his name breathily as he rolled on top of her. She gave a low moan as he bent to kiss her neck and began to slowly move downward. Their clothes lay discarded somewhere on the floor and they were hastily making dispassionate love. Angela bit hard just below Pony's should and he cried out in a mix of pleasure and pain. _

_When it was over Angela, stroked his face and held him for a while. His stomach rumbled slightly, reminding him that he had not eaten almost all day long._

"_Let's go have a cigarette outside, okay?" He spoke to Angela differently than he would have Alex, who had never even touched a cigarette. After a ten minute hunt for their clothes, the two stumbled back into the hallway, running straight into Soda and Bri. Soda's mouth hung open and a deep rose color washed over Bri's cheeks._

Pony wiped at the mirror furiously in order to see his reflection. He looked into a face he no longer knew and whispered "What in the hell have I done?"_   
_


End file.
